The New York Rangers‘ decisive series win over the Washington Capitals was largely due to the consistent play of center Vincent Trocheck.
Trocheck had a career season for the Blueshirts, netting 25 goals and 77 points in all 82 games. He centered a line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, dominating most teams throughout the regular season.
He was a force to be reckoned with at the faceoff dot, winning 58.7% of the draws he took, and was the player head coach Peter Laviolette depended on to square off at the circles late in games. Trocheck took 73 face-offs in the first-round sweep of the Caps., winning 52 for 71%.
Against Washington, Trocheck was the player who got under the skin of the Capital players. He is known as a good “chirper,” which was evident in Game 1 when Washington players seemed more interested in where and what Trocheck was saying after the whistle blew than in focusing on playing hockey.
Harvey Valentine
“I just think that it says that we’re a good hockey team,” Trocheck said of the sweep. “We showed it every game. I think even tonight, when we weren’t at our best, we still were able to do the little things right whenever we had a lead.”
Trocheck led the team in scoring with three goals and was second in points with six (Zibanejad had seven) in the four games against the Capitals.
His hard work was evident in Sunday’s game, where his desire to win spread to his linemates. Panarin scored the winning goal, and Lafreniere had an edge in his game, which is needed to win tight playoff contests.
The Rangers put to rest the failure of last season’s first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils, a series that saw them take a 2-0 lead on the road but then collapse.
This year, the team completed a feat that had previously been accomplished only four times, a four-game sweep in a best-of-seven series.
The Blueshirts now wait for the Carolina Hurricanes – New York Islander series winner, where the ‘Canes are up to 3-1 with Game 5 Wednesday night in Raleigh. Round 2 will either be against the Rangers hated rival Islanders or against his former team, the Hurricanes.
Trocheck is an 11-year NHL veteran who has played in 44 Stanley Cup Playoff games for Florida, Carolina, and the Blueshirts.
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